WASHINGTON – The biggest delays this weekend may come on Interstate 95 and near two local county fairs.
Lines of cars headed to the Montgomery County Agricultural Fair will likely back up on state Route 355 in Gaithersburg, and could lead to backups on Interstate 270 as well. The fair runs Friday night through Saturday, Aug. 17 at the county fairgrounds off of Frederick Avenue.
The Prince William County Fair includes a demolition derby, tractor pull and rodeo in addition to other traditional events. The fair opens at noon Saturday and Sunday. It also runs from Friday night through next Saturday. It’s held at the county fairgrounds in Manassas about one mile off of the Prince William Parkway.
The Nationals host the Phillies this weekend with games Friday and Saturday nights and a rare 5:05 p.m. start on Sunday.
Metro
All Metro stations are open this weekend, but there will be delays due to track work on the Red, Blue and Orange lines.
Red Line trains will single-track along two stretches. Trains will run every 20 minutes all weekend with extra trains running between Dupont Circle and NoMa-Gallaudet from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Switching to the Yellow or Green line at Fort Totten could be a better bet than waiting to get to Gallery Place.
Orange and Blue line trains will run every 20 minutes all weekend.
Work that had been scheduled on the Green Line has been cancelled, so both the Green and Yellow lines will have normal weekend service.
I-95/395 work
Lanes will be closed overnight this weekend at several points on I-95 and I-395 in Northern Virginia as part of widening work.
In addition, the I-395/95 reversible HOV lanes will be closed from just north of Edsall Road to Route 1 Friday and Saturday night from 11 p.m. to 10 a.m. the next morning.
Next Week
Weather permitting, VDOT says three lanes of I-95 north will be closed at night from Monday, Aug. 12 through Saturday, Aug. 17 for bridge work tied to the 95 Express Lanes project.
Lanes will be closed one-by-one beginning at 9 p.m. north of the Pohick Road overpass near the exit for the Franconia-Springfield Parkway. All lanes will be open just past the Springfield interchange.
The I-95/395 reversible HOV lanes from Duke Street to Dumfries Road are scheduled to be closed next week from Monday through Saturday nights. During night time construction hours motorists will be able to access the I-395 HOV lanes north to D.C. at Seminary Road and Shirlington. All HOV lanes will be open to traffic by 5 a.m
Silver Line construction impacts roads
Lanes will be closed overnight on the Dulles Toll Road, Dulles Access Road, Route 7, Route 123 and other streets in the Tysons Corner and Reston areas because of Silver Line work this weekend.
Crews will start repaving Route 7 now that the Metro line’s construction is wrapping up. Paving will beginning Monday between the Dulles Toll Road and Route 123. The work is expected to continue into the fall. The initial milling of the road could lead to some rough rides during daytime hours, but the majority of the actual work and lane closures will happen at night.
Other lane closures are expected over the next few weeks on Chain Bridge Road, the Dulles Access Road and the Dulles Toll Road. The lane closures will be overnight and in early morning hours, or in the middle of the day.
Other road work
In D.C., traffic will share a single lane along a short stretch of Oregon Avenue NW Saturday between Beech and Tennyson streets because of maintenance work.
DDOT has just given permission for streetcar construction to continue on Saturdays, so drivers can expect activity along H Street, Benning Road and at the Car Barn Training Center. Noise restrictions for the project have been waived from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturdays, when the heaviest construction is likely to occur. The Saturday construction was authorized to help keep the project on schedule.
A planned closure of Maryland Route 97 north of Westminster this weekend has been postponed.
U.S. 50/301 interchange project
The ramp from northbound U.S. 301 to both eastbound and westbound U.S. 50 in Bowie and the ramp from westbound 50 to southbound 301 will be closed this weekend.
The closure starts at 9 p.m. Friday, and should be lifted no later than 5 a.m. Monday. The State Highway Administration says the paving project means drivers should use the Belair Road exit from 301 and follow the detour to eastbound or westbound 50. Drivers on 50 should make a left onto state Route 197 (Collington Road) and follow the detour to southbound 301.
Southeast/Southwest Freeway
Southeast/Southwest Freeway (interstate 695) lane closures could impact travel to Nationals games.
The left lanes in both directions are closed while crews install new signs. An additional left lane is scheduled to be closed Saturday morning. The right lane heading westbound approaching the Third Street Tunnel is scheduled to be closed until Sunday, with an additional lane closed Sunday morning. On Sunday, a right lane on eastbound 695 is scheduled to be closed from the South Capitol Street Exit to 6th Street SE.
Work begins Sunday night in Bethesda
Major resurfacing work on Wisconsin Avenue (state Route 355) in Bethesda begins Sunday night. The State Highway Administration says up to two lanes may be closed between 8 p.m. and 5 a.m. from Sunday through Thursday, and one lane may be closed weekdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The work is scheduled to last through late fall. It focuses on a one-mile stretch of 355 from Montgomery Avenue to Jones Bridge Road, and the stretch from the D.C. line to Bradley Boulevard. The project also includes new traffic signals at Battery Lane and Wisconsin Circle.
The week ahead
In Seat Pleasant, the State Highway Administration has just started a two-year improvement project on the Martin Luther King Jr Highway (state Route704) from the D.C. line to Hill Road. The work will include some midday and overnight lane closures as new crosswalks are added along with other improvements.
In the District, there will be temporary closures of the northbound lane of Beach Drive near Harvard Street NW during the middle of the day from Tuesday, Aug. 13 to Friday Aug. 23.
Starting on Monday, Aug. 12 through Friday, Aug. 16, expect single lane closures on eastbound and westbound Maine Avenue SW between 9:30 a.m. and 3 p.m.
Also during midday hours, lane closures will resume next week on Rock Creek Parkway from P Street to Beach Drive.
Waterside Drive will be closed in both directions from Massachusetts Avenue to Rock Creek Parkway on Thursday, Aug. 15 from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. for tree maintenance work
On Monday, Aug. 12, expect single lane closures on eastbound Suitland Parkway between Alabama Avenue and Southern Avenue and between Silver Hill Road and Meadowview Drive between the hours of 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. for underground utility upgrades. One lane of traffic will remain open during the work period.
The next day, Tuesday, Aug. 13, expect single-lane closures on eastbound Suitland Parkway between Alabama Avenue and Southern Avenue between the hours of 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. Work will also occur westbound between Suitland Road and Meadowview Drive between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. for underground utility upgrades. One lane of traffic will remain open in each direction during the work period.
On Monday night, expect detours where I-270 meets Interstate 70 in Frederick. The SHA says a paving project means detours will be posted for traffic accessing southbound I-270 from eastbound I-70, and for traffic accessing eastbound I-70 from northbound U.S. 15/U.S. 340 or northbound state Route 351. Weather permitting, the detours will be in effect from 9 p.m. Monday, Aug. 12, to 5 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 13.
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